athlete of the week – Moore County Edition

Mar

03

2025

Athlete of the Week: Liam Myles

Sportsathlete of the week, Liam Myles, Union Pines, Union Pines High School, union pines wrestling

Union Pines sophomore wrestler Liam Myles is Athlete of the Week. He’s also now one of three state champions on the mat for the Vikings. Myles entered the NCHSAA individual wrestling championships as a No. 3 seed at 106 pounds. He then went 4-0, winning his championship match by pinfall at 3:08. Union Pines won both the dual team and individual team state championships for class 3A. Myles finished the season with a record of 40-9.

Feb

22

2025

By North State Journal staff

Athlete of the Week: Jaydon Sterling

Sportsathlete of the week, Jaydon Sterling, Union Pines, Union Pines High School, Union Pines track and field

Union Pines track and field junior Jaydon Sterling is Athlete of the Week. The Vikings boys finished third in the NCHSAA Class 3A Indoor Track Championships, and Sterling scored nearly half of the team’s points, earning 23 of Union Pines’ 48 at the event. Sterling won the state title in the boys’ 300 with a time of 35.45. He also took second in the long jump and fourth in the triple jump. With a state title and two other top-five finishes, Sterling was named the NCHSAA’s Most Valuable Player for the 3A championships.

Feb

13

2025

By North State Journal staff

Athlete of the Week: Brock Sullivan

Sportsathlete of the week, Brock Sullivan, Union Pines, Union Pines High School, union pines wrestling

Union Pines senior wrestler Brock Sullivan is Athlete of the Week. The Vikings won the state dual team championship for class 3A with a 47-17 win over Pisgah. Sullivan recorded a 4-2 win at 215 pounds to cap off seven straight Union Pines wins to open the match. For his effort, Sullivan, who won an individual state championship last year, was named Most Outstanding Wrestler.

Feb

08

2025

By North State Journal staff

Athlete of the Week: Jack Carpenter

Sportsathlete of the week, John Carpenter, Pinecrest, Pinecrest baseball, Pinecrest High school, Pinecrest Patriots

Pinecrest alumnus Jack Carpenter is Athlete of the Week. Carpenter is a 2016 graduate of Pinecrest, where he was a two-sport athlete. As a member of the baseball and football team, he earned the Burlsworth Character Award, which is given to 50 student-athletes across the country. Since leaving Pinecrest, Carpenter has gone on to become a successful football coach. He was a student manager for the NC State team, and he was then promoted to student assistant coach. After college, he has served as an assistant coach at North Gaston High School and Montgomery Central. He eventually worked his way…

Jan

19

2025

By North State Journal staff

Athlete of the Week: Jaylen Kyle

Sportsathlete of the week, Jaylen Kyle

Union Pines boys’ basketball senior captain Jaylen Kyle is Athlete of the Week. The Vikings are 10-5 on the year and ended last week with a 67-61 win over Hoke County. Kyle was high scorer in the game with 26 points on 11-of-20 shooting. He added seven rebounds, two assists and a steal. For the year, Kyle leads the Sandhills Conference in scoring at 17.6 points per game. He’s also second in the conference in rebounding, blocks and double-doubles.

Dec

21

2024

By Cory Lavalette

Athlete of the Week: Isaiah Upchurch

Sportsathlete of the week, Isaiah Upchurch, Sandhills Community College, Southern Lee

Sandhills Community College men’s basketball freshman guard Isaiah Upchurch is Athlete of the Week. The Southern Lee product is second on the No. 3‑ranked Flyers in scoring and is second on the team in 3‑pointers made. He came up big in the team’s biggest game of the young season, however. In Sandhills CC’s upset over the top‑ranked team in the country, Davidson‑Davie Community College, Upchurch scored 30 points on 9‑of‑16 shooting. He was also a perfect 10 for 10 from the free‑throw line and added two rebounds, two steals and three assists.

Dec

13

2024

By North State Journal staff

Athlete of the Week: Kingsley Donaldson

Sportsathlete of the week, Kingsley Donaldson, Union Pines, Union Pines basketball, Union Pines boys' basketball

Union Pines boys’ basketball post player Kingsley Donaldson is Athlete of the Week. Donaldson leads the Vikings in rebounding and is second in scoring and shooting percentage. He’s also second in blocks and third in steals. Donaldson had a huge game against Gray’s Creek, hitting 17 of 24 from the field, including 1 of 2 from deep. He also hit 3 of 6 from the free-throw line. When the dust cleared, he had 38 points, more than half of Union Pines’ 73 on the night. He also had a double-double, with a team-high 14 rebounds. Donaldson added four steals and…

Dec

01

2024

By North State Journal staff

Athlete of the Week: Tyne Ross

Sportsathlete of the week, North Carolina A&T, Tyne Ross, Union Pines

NC A&T volleyball freshman Tyne Ross is Athlete of the Week. Ross is a 2024 graduate of Union Pines, where she starred for the volleyball and tennis teams. She’s now a freshman on the NC A&T volleyball team. The Aggies entered the postseason with a 17-9 record, a significant turnaround from 8-18 last year. Ross is a big reason why. A&T won back-to-back games to close out the regular season, and Ross led the team in kills in both games, with 17 and 21. She also had a team-high seven digs in the season finale. Ross leads the team in…

Nov

23

2024

By North State Journal staff

Athlete of the Week: Zymire Spencer

Sportsathlete of the week, Pinecrest, pinecrest football, Pinecrest High school, Pinecrest Patriots, Zymire Spencer

Pinecrest senior running back Zymire Spencer is Athlete of the Week. The No. 12 seed Patriots won their NCHSAA playoff opener, beating New Hanover 30-16, and a crushing ground game led by Spencer is a big reason why. Spencer carried the ball 26 times, gaining 137 yards. He scored a touchdown and also added a 19-yard pass reception. He has now rushed for at least 125 yards in his last nine games and scored a touchdown in his last six. For the season, Spencer has 1,757 rushing yards, which is fifth most in the state and second most at the…

Nov

16

2024

By North State Journal staff

Athlete of the Week: Kael Jahn

Sportsathlete of the week, Kael Jahn, Union Pines, Union Pines football, Union Pines soccer

Union Pines two-sport athlete Kael Jahn is Athlete of the Week. Plenty of athletes around the state are able to compete in two — or more — high school sports. Not many do so simultaneously, however. Jahn spent the fall playing goalkeeper for the Vikings boys’ soccer team while also kicking for the football team. Things went pretty well doing double duty, too. Jahn finished second in the Sandhills Conference in goals against average and shared the Sandhills Goalkeeper of the Year award. He also ranked No. 15 in the 3A level in goals against. Meanwhile, in American football, he…